BioUtah today announced its 2025 Life Sciences Awards, recognizing leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and companies that have made significant contributions to the state's life sciences industry. The awards will be presented during the 2025 Mayer Brown Utah Life Sciences Summit on November 12 at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center Hotel. To register for the summit and learn more about the award winners, visit utahlifesciencessummit.com.
“We are proud to recognize this year's award winners,” said Kelvyn Cullimore, president and CEO of BioUtah. “These honorees exemplify the innovation and dedication that define Utah's life sciences community, and their work continues to deliver transformative healthcare solutions to patients in Utah and the world over.”
The awards and winners are as follows: Wesley Sundquist, PhD, Samuels Professor and Chair of the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Utah, will receive an award for his decades-long contributions, particularly his research on HIV assembly and replication that led to FDA approval of Lenacapavir for HIV prevention in June 2025. Fred Lampropoulos, Executive Chairman of Merit Medical Systems, will be honored for his leadership in founding and guiding the company since 1987, resulting in over 500 patents and $1.5 billion in revenue. Shawn Fojtik, CEO of Distal Access, will be recognized for his entrepreneurial drive, with over 100 patents and multiple company startups including Axiom, CIRCA, and Fluidx. Nusano, based in West Valley City, will receive an award for developing a platform that produces radioisotopes for targeted cancer therapies. Taylor Randall, President of the University of Utah, will be honored for his partnership in advancing Utah's life sciences ecosystem, including the Life Sciences Workforce Initiative and the University of Utah Venture fund.
“These awards reflect the dynamic leadership and culture of healthcare innovation we have here in Utah,” said Mark Paul, executive director of the University of Utah Health Center for Medical Innovation and chair of the BioUtah Board of Directors. “I look forward to celebrating these distinguished individuals and companies at the summit.”
Sundquist, a recipient of the Horwitz Prize and named to the TIME100 2025 list, completed his PhD at MIT and postdoctoral research with Sir Aaron Klug. Lampropoulos has received the Utah Governor's Medal for Science and Technology and the 2016 BioUtah Lifetime Achievement Award, and serves on several community boards. Fojtik brings senior experience from GE, Boston Scientific, and Black & Decker. Nusano’s work is attracting other life sciences companies to Utah, such as Ratio Therapeutics and PharmaLogic. Randall, the first university alum in 50 years to hold the presidency, joined a discovery tour to Galway, Ireland, in 2024, leading to state-funded life sciences training programs in 2025.
About BioUtah: BioUtah is an independent 501(c)(6) trade association serving Utah's life sciences industry, with member companies in medical device manufacturing, biotechnology, biopharmaceuticals, and diagnostics.
